Riverdale man convicted of molesting 5 girls appeals case to state

OGDEN — A Riverdale man given a lengthy prison term in April has appealed his sentence to the state courts.

A jury found Jacob Rich Streeper, 38, guilty of 13 felony charges in March, including multiple counts of rape of a child, aggravated sexual abuse of a child and sodomy on a child — all first-degree felonies.

Before Judge Mark DeCaria sentenced Streeper to serve over 100 years in prison, Streeper said he was “deeply sorry” but maintained his innocence during the April hearing and denied in court that he raped and sexually abused five girls.

Streeper also said he would appeal his sentence upon his arrival to the state prison. On May 1, he did just that.

In a brief court hearing Tuesday, DeCaria ruled that Streeper was indigent and needed a court-appointed attorney. Streeper used a court-appointed attorney for his case in district court as well.

While the hearing seems minor, DeCaria’s ruling gets the ball rolling for Streeper’s appeal. Now that he’s been deemed indigent, Streeper’s case will be sent back to the Utah Court of Appeals.

On June 1, the Court of Appeals remanded Streeper’s appeal to the district court to determine if he needed a court-appointed attorney. With Streeper deemed indigent, his appeal will be allowed to move forward.

During his sentencing hearing in April, Streeper blamed Utah’s public defender system for his conviction and for not allowing his attorney to spend the proper amount of time on his case.

Streeper’s next court date was not immediately available as of Tuesday.